2012 British Grand Prix

Sergio Perez had harsh words for Pastor Maldonado after retiring in a collision with the Williams driver in the British Grand Prix.

Perez was trying to pass Maldonado on the outside of Brooklands on lap 11 when the pair made contact.

Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Perez called on the FIA to take action against Maldonado: “Pastor is a driver who doesn’t respect other drivers. It’s just a matter of fact.

“I was already in front, and if not he should have given me enough space not to crash, but he tried to push me all the way to the outside. I don’t understand the way he is driving.

“I really hope the stewards can make something because the last three or four races he has done something.

“It is not the first time he has damaged my weekend. He did the same in Valencia, and they gave him a drive-through, which I think is not enough.

“This guy will never learn if they don’t do something, because he is a very dangerous driver and he can hurt someone.”

Maldonado collided with Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the European Grand Prix.

Afterwards Maldonado said: “It was a very disappointing moment because the race was going well for us.”

Describing the incident he said: “The corner was mine. Sergio was on the outside of the corner trying to take the position from me. I tried to defend and on the entry I lost the rear of the car, I think on cold tyres.”

Not defending his character here, but in the incident on track today, I really don’t think he did anything wrong. It was just a racing incident. They were both going hammer and tongs, side by side through a sweeping corner. He simply lost the back end and couldn’t gather it up in time. Unfortunately Perez was in the way at the time.

As to whether the collision was Maldonado’s fault, I think the answer is clearly yes. The replays shows Perez had left Maldonado ample space. But in trying to keep Perez behind Maldonado had gone too fast into the corner and – by his own admission – lost the rear of his car, hitting Perez.

I wouldn’t say this was “malicious” in the way Monaco ’12 or Spa ’11 seemed to be, but it was clearly Maldonado’s fault and so if anyone should be punished it’s him.

I agree, his behaviour needs to be looked at, but the punishments need to be dished out with more thought.

Whether or not the stewards were simply getting him back for past indiscretions is irrelevant. What it boils down to is they have given a financial penalty for an on track racing incident. Yes, it was Maldonado’s fault that they came together, but it was simply a racing incident and not intentional, and as such, I don’t think even a drive through was called for.

Every time that drivers come together now, someone gets a penalty – it’s stupid! IT IS CAR RACING – you know, auto mobiles travelling at very high speeds at very close proximity – drivers are going to come together, but that’s racing!

Yes, he deserves to be punished for the crap that he pulled at Monaco and Spa, but on track incidents should be just that and left on the track – unless a driver does something completely stupid and reckless of course. And before you all jump in, no, losing the back end of your F1 car whilst doing God knows what speed through a sweeping corner with a car RIGHT beside you is not stupid or reckless, it’s just racing.

I’m amazed he wasn’t harshly punished after hitting Perez at Monaco to be honest, and I agree the stewards should come down on him like a tonne of bricks. A suspended race ban I think would send a very clear message that his standard of driving cannot continue.

@Steph, I think that’s the crucial point. Maldonado should have received a much severer penalty for his deliberate collision with Hamilton last year – we’re not even talking about a momentary flash of anger during an on-track dispute, but a bout of uncontrolled road rage, going after a driver long after the incident and deliberately crashing into him. Unbelievable that this behaviour was given such a lenient penalty.

It always hurt me when there are news like these, especially during such a fantastic season. I simply could not recall any worse kinds of sportsmanship in the history of the sport. The FIA should perhaps plan for further rules or sanctions or whatever policies to stop such exploitation of any potential grey areas between the line of “aggresiveness” and “unfairness”. Together with Senna’s performance, regardless of whether that is his real potential or if there is anything preventing him from performing, I wonder what would be going through Barrichello’s minds at these times……

Hopfully now thanks to his public outburst Maldonado will get his long deserved race ban. This time might have been an accident, but it was still his fault and its ANOTHER driver he’s taken out of a race.

Yes, Pastor has had some incidents in the past (Spa and Monaco) which have deserved more than just a slap on the wrist and a grid drop, but they were (allegedly — and most likely) deliberate. The incidents he’s been involved in for the past two races have been accidents over which no-one can be solely blamed, and previous “deliberate” collisions can’t really be compared just to make the point.

If the stewards start judging incidents based on previous occurrences, things will get unfair. Certainly today, Pastor was not entirely at fault. It takes two to tango, as the saying goes, and Perez tried a risky move. Maldonado lost control mid-corner and accidentally made contact. Maybe that was his fault, but it happens when you’re racing. There may always be someone at fault, but do we really have to have a penalty even when this is the case? It seems to me that the stewards are contractually obliged to penalise someone in every single incident where two drivers make contact. It’s a bit silly in my opinion.

Well said and I completely agree. A similar incident occurred in 2011 at the same corner between MSC and Kamui. Sergio, to me looked aggressive in this race and he tried to pull off an aggressive move and nothing wrong in that but then incidents do happen.

@aquataz68 So just because Maldonado makes reckless moves his rivals should make life easier for him? That sounds like a classic case of reinforcing negative behaviour to me.

This is exactly why the stewards should be there to provide the sort of discipline that will stop Maldonado from making moves like this.

In many respects it’s such a shame we’re having this discussion. I really thought he’d got on top of his temperament after his win in Spain. But this is his third unacceptable move since then (and his second with Perez).

“Frank loves Pastor” Looking at it from Franks viewpoint, $50 million + a race win + a lot of “on camera” time for the sponsors, equates to a lot more than a famous name circulating mid-pack. But for everybody else it’s totally unacceptable bully-boy tactics, yes it was not deliberate (this time) but it was totally avoidable.

This is exactly why the stewards should be there to provide the sort of discipline that will stop Maldonado from making moves like this.

Compare this episode to Valencia, and there’s a whole world of difference.

In Valencia, Maldonado went off the circuit and rejoined in a dangerous manner. But here, he was the defender rather than the attacker, and he had the defensive line. The back end clearly stepped out, but was that because he was trying too hard to hold onto his position, or did he ride up on the kerb too high and lose some grip, or was there some other factor?

I’m not defending everything Maldonado does, I just think that of all the episodes that he’s been involved in, this was the most-innocuous of the lot.

of all the episodes that heâ€™s been involved in, this was the most-innocuous of the lot.

When those include two incidents where he’s deliberately hit another driver (Spa 2011, Monaco 2012) and another where he’s rejoined the track by driving into the side of another (Valencia 2012) that’s not saying much.

@Keith Collantine I think you’re being rather harsh here, for me this was the defenition of a racing incident – two drivers not willing to give up, cold tyres, a tiny mistake and it all ends in tears. It was unlucky for both as well because it was very light contact and if the contact had been between other parts of the car they would probably both have continued and nobody would be complaining. That said, crashes are becoming something of a trend for Maldonado recently.

Iâ€™m not defending everything Maldonado does, I just think that of all the episodes that heâ€™s been involved in, this was the most-innocuous of the lot.

I completely agree with that, looked like he just lost it under brakes. But that being said, he’s been pushing his luck a bit and I agree with the majority that it’s high time he be punished appropriately for his “reckless” driving.

Let’s not forget that Maldonado was not the one ‘pulling a move’ in this instance.

Also, like Staffan Hansson has mentioned, reckless racing like Maldonado has been acused of here was Ayrton Senna’s EXACT style.

Martin Brundle, who raced against Senna, has said many times that if Ayrton Senna was coming towards you in your mirrors, the best thing to do was get out of the way, cause if you didn’t you knew you were going to have a crash. Ayrton was coming through whether you liked it or not.

We all know how much the world (and probably most on this forum) thinks of Senna, yet everyone here is now slating Maldonado for driving VERY similarly.

All the drivers must really dread now if they have to pull a passing move, or defend against Maldonado, not only in the race, but any time they are on the track. Its a bit of a worry, it shouldn’t be that way.

who’s maldonado’s mentor and who’s paying for the seat in Williams? Answer: Chavez !! Does Chavez shows any kind of respect towards other people ? He does. Of so what can you expect from them?
I’m from south America and feel that he needs to be suspended at least a race , he has been penalized already 5 times this year in 9 races. So that mean more than one penalization every two races . And don’t forget he injured and almost killed a marshal in Monaco a few years back for ignoring the yellows flag. Monaco forbidden him from competing again in that track but that banned was liftted it because his wealthy father promise to pay the steward’s recovery costs.

Although I see this as entirely a racing incident, Maldonado clearly needs to be told to calm down. I think banning him would be a bit harsh, especially considering there was no malice in this incident, but maybe he should have a suspended ban – you know, a ‘if you do this again there will be serious consequences’ kind of thing. It’s a shame really that Maldonado is so accident prone, he has great speed and natural talent. Hopefully he’ll learn to change his driving style, because then I believe he could become a regular front runner. But he really needs at least a slap on the wrist.

I agree with Perez, Maldonado is always doing this kind of thing. He seems to think he can do what he wants on the track. Look at the move Webber put on Alonso for an example of how to do it. Great from both drivers, Alonso made it hard for Webber without smashing into the side of him. Maldonado is an idiot

yeah true! on the sky coverage they have just shown a few replays of it and its clear Maldonado lost the back end mid corner. Allan Mcnish’s view was that it was a racing incident but Maldonado lost the back because he went too deep into the corner. He has to learn that sometimes you’ve lost the position, he should have braked earlier and tried to come back at Perez on the exit. I just think his attitude is appalling, it’s sort of as if he thinks he’s always getting squeezed out of position but he just doesn’t know when to pull out and position himself for the next corner to attack.

To be honest, before judging this move, it’d be good to see the onboard shot, because it looked like he lost the car a bit and overcorrected it.

Not defending Maldonado at all, because all he’s doing (specially this year) is pushing people on the track and crashing. Some people argued back in the day that Hamilton needed to be penalized because of all the incidents he’s into. But come on, it was nothing like Maldonado’s. Maldonado shows no respect at all on track, and he really doesn’t care much about it.

It’s very sad because the car is fast, and he’s obviously capable of doing very well, as he showed in Spain. But come on, Rubens, on that car, would be at least 25 points ahead of Maldonado at this point.

It looked like Maldonado did indeed force the entrance into that corner and went off the racing line straight into Perez. Even though it looked like a racing incident it still could have been completely avoidable. It was no way he could have kept the car on the racing like AND in front of Perez in that particular situation. NO WAY.

I like Maldonado for his fearless driving. I loved it when he sustained pressure from Fernando to win in Barcelona. I liked the fact that he pushed Alonso in the final laps at Melbourne but ended up crashing with 2 laps to go. He messed up in Valencia too in the final laps.

But he tries hard. And crosses a line sometimes. But this is indeed too much. A race ban might be necessary I feel.

Maldonado has done some stupid stuff in the past, sure, but this was just an unfortunate racing incident. He had a small slide mid corner which took him into Perez, it could have happened to anyone but as it was, it just happened to be Maldonado. Perez also said about some weaving, which I haven’t seen so I can’t judge, but the incident that took him out was just an unlucky racing incident.

It was not “unlucky” Maldonado did not brake where he would normally because that would have left room for Perez to pass him, he didn’t want to give Perez room so left his braking to late, nothing to do with bad luck.

It looked a lot like he lost the car on a bump or something to make it slide. Maybe Maldonado should have been braking a bit earlier, but to me it looked like his backend slipped a good half a meter before hitting Perez, so I think he just lost the car on braking. That move looked like it took Perez too far out even before Maldonado hit him too.

As @dan-thorn writes, in this case it did not seem to be anything malicious.

The races would be a little bit more boring with Pastor Maldonado minding his own business. His unpredictability gives him a bit of personality, and I for one don’t want to see twenty-four clones racing each other.

But was this really poor driving, or just a case of one driver losing control of his car and hitting another?

If you want to ban that, you might as well ban overtaking altogether, because it is a risk that every driver takes every time they overtake another. Like when Romain Grosjean went down the inside of Nico Rosberg at Maggotts. It was a phenomenal move, but if either driver lost control for a moment, it would have been a phenomenal accident.

If the Maldonado-Perez clash was anything more than a racing incident, then I’d probably be saying something different. But of all the incidents he has been involved in, this one is probably the one in which no fault can be assigned to any driver.

The problem is that Maldonado is not being unpredictable if every time he fights for a position it will end with both drivers out of the race or with damaged cars.
So next time he fights for a position and get involved in another accident everyone will say that they saw that coming.
I also like to see an aggressive driver but Maldonado right now is just being way too clumsy when fighting for position and if he doesn’t notice his mistakes he will never improve as a driver.

I remember when the drivers didn’t like racing against Sato back in 2005 I think. When Sato joined Super Aguri, he did calm down a bit whilst racing. Maybe it was because he was dropped by a competitive BAR team, which made Sato reflect and finally ease off.

Maybe a race ban for Maldonado would help him reflect and calm down whilst racing. It is a shame Maldonado is such hot-headed because he is very quick.

I remember when the drivers didnâ€™t like racing against Sato back in 2005 I think.

Sato was a bit incident prone but I can’t recall him ever intentionally driving into an opponent, which Maldonado has done twice in less than two seasons in F1. Maldonado is fast and he fully deserved his debut victory in Barcelona, but he’s always been a thug behind the wheel – he got a four race ban from the WSR for ignoring yellow flags at Monaco and seriously injuring a marshall.

The pattern of behaviour is well established, the stewards need to take decisive action to break it – not view incidents in isolation and hand down another wrist slap.

Maybe a race ban for Maldonado would help him reflect and calm down whilst racing.

After thinking about it more, I don’t think a race ban would be right.

Today Maldonado made an honest mistake, if it was anyone else, nobody would be as angry with that driver. I’m sure Maldonado is aware that maybe he should tone down the aggression. Unfortunately it hasn’t quite happened for him with the misjudgment in Valencia, and his mistake today.

I remember when the drivers didnâ€™t like racing against Sato back in 2005 I think.

Well, the Japanese driver who loved car with over steer, was driving car designed for Button’s liking for under steer. Super Aguri, on the other hand, was created by Japanese Honda management to pacify the Japanese fans who felt Sato was unfairly treated by the British dominated management at BAR.
Sato’s performance at Super Aguri is good vindication of Sato’s talent and underlines what a Non-Brit, Non-European driver needs to succeed in F1.